News

McCain Calls for IG Look into EELV

—Marc V. Schanz4/30/2014

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Sen.
John McCain (R-Ariz.) laid into senior USAF leadership on Tuesday during a
Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, saying he had grave concerns regarding
the structure of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program and the
acquisition process surrounding it. McCain has requested a Department of
Defense Inspector General investigation into the program, noting in an April
25 letter to DODIG Jon Rymer that EELV costs have inflated 166 percent over
the program’s life. McCain noted that OSD acquisition head Frank Kendall previously
directed USAF to aggressively approach competition, but the Air Force cut
the number of launches eligible for competition from 14 to 7 in its five-year
spending plan. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said she welcomed an IG
investigation, noting it would be “of help to me.” James said she wants to see
competition expanded, but noted the current EELV “strategy was put in place
before I came along.” Last week, SpaceX announced it was filing
suit against the Air Force, saying the most recent EELV contract with
United Launch Alliance prohibits other companies, such as SpaceX, from
competing for national security launches.